This movie is definitely less than the sum of its parts, some of which are quite fine.
Granted, 1930s movie musicals were often short on plot, but the story line here is particularly broken up.
Still, there are good moments.
My favorite, I guess, is Judy Garland singing "Dear Mr. Gable." Every phrase is beautifully shaped. It's really a remarkable moment.
After that, perhaps my next favorite is Powell and Murphy dancing around a fountain. It makes you realize that Powell could have made more interesting movies if she had been paired with dancers, rather than with a string of leading men who couldn't accompany her in her dance numbers. Robert Taylor looks nice, but he can't hold the stage with Powell when she starts to dance. I also found it interesting that the music for that dance number was Mistingette's "Je cherche un millionnaire," but with completely different words.
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Watching it again tonight, three years after having written this review, I was left wondering why George Murphy wasn't just given co-star billing in this movie and Robert Taylor's part removed. Taylor may have looked handsome to some women, but for my money he was about as interesting as a wet noodle. There was nothing wrong with Murphy's looks, and he could certainly dance. Why was he assigned the second male fiddle role here - and in other musicals?
This is the problem I have with most of Eleanor Powell's movies. She was certainly a spectacular dancer, and a decent actress for light roles. But - and I hope this doesn't come across as sexist, which it probably will - I think her movies would have been more popular and long-lasting if she had been given male leads that could dance with her, as Astaire and Kelly got in their movies. The fact that she can't dance with her leading man is, for me, a problem.
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Igor Goren gets to do the Toreador Song from Carmen. His voice is very light for it, but he does a nice job nevertheless.
Buddy Ebsen gets a few good dance numbers, but he's always presented as a novelty act, rather than a serious dancer. I think that sells him - and us - short.
Most of the rest of the movie is just fluff. Pleasant but forgettable. Sophie Tucker doesn't make an impression singing her numbers. She was well past her prime - she had been a hit on Broadway in the 1910s and 20s - and she comes across as a real disappointment. Not just because she's older - 52- but because she couldn't do the sort of racy material on screen that she was known for in New York. (She was evidently somewhat like Mae West in her prime, but with a better voice.)
While there are echoes of great songs past, most of the full musical numbers here are musically forgettable. Powell's finale has lots of energy, but it's not interesting, either musically or choreographically.
As I said, this movie is less than the sum of its better parts. Everyone in it did better things elsewhere. We get to watch Powell dance, which is always a pleasure, but in between those scenes there's a lot of filler.
Granted, 1930s movie musicals were often short on plot, but the story line here is particularly broken up.
Still, there are good moments.
My favorite, I guess, is Judy Garland singing "Dear Mr. Gable." Every phrase is beautifully shaped. It's really a remarkable moment.
After that, perhaps my next favorite is Powell and Murphy dancing around a fountain. It makes you realize that Powell could have made more interesting movies if she had been paired with dancers, rather than with a string of leading men who couldn't accompany her in her dance numbers. Robert Taylor looks nice, but he can't hold the stage with Powell when she starts to dance. I also found it interesting that the music for that dance number was Mistingette's "Je cherche un millionnaire," but with completely different words.
------------------------------
Watching it again tonight, three years after having written this review, I was left wondering why George Murphy wasn't just given co-star billing in this movie and Robert Taylor's part removed. Taylor may have looked handsome to some women, but for my money he was about as interesting as a wet noodle. There was nothing wrong with Murphy's looks, and he could certainly dance. Why was he assigned the second male fiddle role here - and in other musicals?
This is the problem I have with most of Eleanor Powell's movies. She was certainly a spectacular dancer, and a decent actress for light roles. But - and I hope this doesn't come across as sexist, which it probably will - I think her movies would have been more popular and long-lasting if she had been given male leads that could dance with her, as Astaire and Kelly got in their movies. The fact that she can't dance with her leading man is, for me, a problem.
=======================================
Igor Goren gets to do the Toreador Song from Carmen. His voice is very light for it, but he does a nice job nevertheless.
Buddy Ebsen gets a few good dance numbers, but he's always presented as a novelty act, rather than a serious dancer. I think that sells him - and us - short.
Most of the rest of the movie is just fluff. Pleasant but forgettable. Sophie Tucker doesn't make an impression singing her numbers. She was well past her prime - she had been a hit on Broadway in the 1910s and 20s - and she comes across as a real disappointment. Not just because she's older - 52- but because she couldn't do the sort of racy material on screen that she was known for in New York. (She was evidently somewhat like Mae West in her prime, but with a better voice.)
While there are echoes of great songs past, most of the full musical numbers here are musically forgettable. Powell's finale has lots of energy, but it's not interesting, either musically or choreographically.
As I said, this movie is less than the sum of its better parts. Everyone in it did better things elsewhere. We get to watch Powell dance, which is always a pleasure, but in between those scenes there's a lot of filler.